Jesus. Par IV.

The Gospel of Matthew

1. Triumphal Entry
a. Jesus returns to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover
b. The people welcome him as the Kind/Messiah.
c. Jesus knows the leaders will kill him.
i. In each Gospel, Jesus’ purpose was to die on the cross.
2. Cleansing of the Temple
. Markan Sandwich - literary device in Mark that frames a story/teaching with another
story/teaching
a. Jesus Condemns the Fig Tree for Lack of Figs
.Jesus Condemns the Temple (House of Prayer) for lack of Prayer
b. Fig tree withers (Jesus teaches about prayer.)
.What are the logical implications for the Temple?
3. Temple Contests
. Religious leaders have to discredit/shame Jesus in order to prevent turning him into
a martyr.
.Many religious leaders try to publicly trap/shame Jesus.
a. The need to Crucify him.
.Torah says “cursed is he who hangs on a tree.” (Deut 21:23)
i.Only Romans can crucify criminals.
ii.They accused him of treason against Rome.
4. The Last Supper
. Passover Meal celebrated by Jesus and his disciples on the night he is betrayed.
.AKA: The Lord’s Supper
a. Symbolic elements
.Broken bred signifies Jesus’ broken body.
i.The cup signifies the JEsus’ “blood of the covenant” (cf. Exod 24:8)
b. Remembered today by Christians in the ritual of Eucharist (aka “Communion”)
5. Jesus’ Trial
. Betrayed by his disciple Judas Iscariot
a. Arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
b. First tried by a Jewish council of Priests and religious leaders.
.Found guilty of Blasphemy.
c. Second trial by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate (26-36 AD).
.The Jewish leaders want JEsus crucified (Roman execution)
i.Tried for treason
ii.Pilate finds him innocent, but allows the execution to pacify the crowd.
6. Jesus’ Death
. For MAtthew, Jesus’ crucifixion involves not just physical pain and death but also the
experience of rejection and humiliation.
a. Pilate adds a sign above Jesus: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
b. Crucified c. 30-33 AD.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two form top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split. (Matthew 27:51)

d. The resurrection marks the beginning of the Eschatological Kingdom of God.

5. The Resurrection
d. The Cornerstone of the Christian Faith.
e.